Applying for TN & Housing

Hi everyone,

My fiance and I are Canadian citizens currently living in Ontario. My fiance has just accepted a job in Michigan that is clearly on the NAFTA list, so he qualifies for a TN Visa. As you know, I will then qualify for a TD Visa (we are getting married this weekend).

1. Seeing as we live in Southern Ontario, can we just head to the New York State border and apply for the TN/TD, then turn around and come back through Canada immediately? He does not start until mid-September, so I thought maybe we could get it out of the way early next week. Or, do we have to be actually moving to the US the day we apply, and are we required to apply at the Michigan border since that is where we will be living?

2. We were planning on heading down to Michigan this weekend to look for apartments. Will we be able to secure housing without Visas?


Thanks for any information!

You can get the TN visa and TD visa not more than 2 weeks before the start date of his job.

Hey thanks! I did not come across that in my reading. So, we can go to any border then, as long as it's two weeks or less before his start date?

i applied for a tn at one of the quebec/vermont crossings (for job in michigan) and it was granted so it shouldn't be an issue.
just remeber the 1 yr countdown starts ticking from when the TN is issued, not from when the job starts.

As for your question about getting housing without a visa. It will depend on the property company/manager. Try to secure housing, you'll start seeing a trend about what the property mgrs are saying.

It's really about the Social Security Number - SSN (similar to Canada's Social Insurance Number).

Most rental applications will require a SSN and when you state previous rental history as Canadian addresses - they may require you to put down a larger deposit.

Once you get your TN Visa, if you can apply for your SSN, then everything (obtaining an apartment, opening a bank account) will go much smoother.

Remember to read the article on Common TN Visa Mistakes to Avoid.

Hope this helps.